HLS Connect
Join Health Law CONNECT, the innovative community-based platform, providing Section members with more flexibility to engage with each other in friendly conversation, substantive dialog, and document sharing.
Cancer Legal Advocacy
The Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group is the Health Law Section’s pro bono project designed to lead and implement educational programs that protect the legal rights of cancer patients and their families with a focus on advocacy training for attorneys interested in assisting patients who need legal advice related to their diagnosis and treatment.
Interest Group Membership
All ABA members are eligible to join the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group. You do not need to be a member of the Health Law Section to join us. If you are interested in taking an active role on the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group, please contact Carol.Simmons@americanbar.org.
Volunteers Wanted
For those interested in taking on a more active role in the IG's work, we are currently looking for volunteers to help us enhance the following initiatives: (1) Member digital communications (2) Contributing to a quarterly newsletter (3) Researching new developments in Cancer Legal Advocacy (4) Planning IG activities (5) Planning fundraising initiatives
Cancer Legal Advocacy On-Demand Workshop
March 2021 -- This two-part series introduces you to Javier Gonzalez-Rivera who, for purposes of this workshop, was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma, a form of cancer that begins in infection-fighting cells of the immune system. Follow Javier as he meets with four attorneys who will walk him through the critical legal challenges he will likely face during the various stages of his diagnosis, treatment, and remission.
Helping Families in Crisis in Your Community
We Need Your Help to Continue Our Good Work
Since 2007, the ABA Health Law Section's Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group (formerly the Breast Cancer Initiatives Task Force) has sponsored 33 Training Workshops across the country reaching over 1,000 attorneys and has presented training webinars for countless attorneys including those lawyers directly involved in legal advocacy for patients, treatment facilities, social services, and a host of other sectors that touch upon patients and their families facing this debilitating disease. Over the years, the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group has trained more than a thousand attorneys on the legal issues impacting cancer patients, survivors and their families and enabled them to provide free or low-cost legal services to individuals and their families in crisis.
ModioLegal - Join the Audio Evolution
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History of the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group
In 1993, the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession launched the ABA Breast Cancer Initiative to provide information and education on a wide range of legal issues related to women's health and to provided resources to lawyers and consumers facing breast cancer. In 2008, the ABA Health Law Section assumed responsibility for the project calling it the Breast Cancer Initiative Interest Group. Then in 2019, the Interest Group became the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group to expand the scope of the Interest Group's mission. With our partners, the Cancer Legal Research Center (CLRC) and Triage Cancer, we continue to provide resources to attorneys and promote legal pro bono and low cost legal services on a wide range of issues facing people with a cancer or other life threatening diagnosis.
Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC)
The Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC) is a national program of the Disability Rights Legal Center. The CLRC provides free information and resources on cancer-related legal issues to survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, attorneys, and others coping with cancer. A cancer diagnosis may carry with it a variety of legal issues, including insurance coverage, navigation, and appeals, employment and leave from work, and estate planning. The CLRC has assisted over 160,000 people with these legal issues through a national Telephone Assistance Line, educational seminars, teleconferences, conferences, and other community events. The CLRC's Professional Panel of over 275 attorneys and other professionals provide additional assistance. The CLRC has collaborated with organizations nationally to provide legal information, resources, and referrals, including partnering with the ABA Health Law Section’s Cancer Advocacy Interest Group. The Cancer Legal Resource Center 1541 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 400 Los Angeles, CA 90017 (866) THE-CLRC (843-2572)
Triage Cancer
Triage Cancer is a national, nonprofit organization that provides education on the practical and legal issues that may impact individuals diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers. We help those diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers obtain access to the resources they need to make the best decisions. Our cancer events, materials, and resources provide the most objective, factual information available for those that need it most. Through our educational and advocacy efforts, we are able to provide those diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers a path to empowerment to find their best approach forward, beyond diagnosis.